Candidates Rally The Troops

Allen Coasts On Stable Lead, Sticks To Script

SALEM — Republican George F. Allen coasted through an easy day of campaign rallies Sunday and spoke like a quarterback who knew he had won his game.

With no sign of any erosion in his lead over Democrat Mary Sue Terry, Allen stuck to the campaign script he used Saturday, as if waiting out the clock until victory is assured.

In a candid moment with reporters Sunday night, on a van en route to the Roanoke airport, Allen offered a critique of his performance that cast the election battle in the past tense.

"We just had a great grass-roots organization," he said. Six months ago, when Terry was thought to be nearly invincible, "I was concerned about raising enough money and gaining credibility. But I always felt that if I could get my message out, we could win."

When asked if the race is over, Allen offered his standard denial. "We haven't won," he said. "We'll only know after the votes have been tabulated."

In the final two days before Tuesday's election, Allen said "what we're trying to do, obviously, is to rally the troops and thank everyone for their hard work." He acknowledged being tired but said "I'm just running on adrenaline."

In a campaign schedule that allows only brief public appearances and limits the potential for blunders, Allen and his wife, Susan, jetted across the state to greet the party faithful in Fairfax County, Salem, Fredericksburg, and Hanover.

When he arrived at an outdoor rally in Fairfax's Timberlake Park, Allen was greeted by a few hundred enthusiastic supporters who stood with umbrellas in a pouring rain.

"Gosh darn, no kind of weather is going to stop our campaign," he told the cheering crowd. "Are you ready to win?"

The crowd roared back a loud "Yes!"

The rain didn't bother Beebe Hanscome, an interior designer from Reston, who braved the weather to cheer on her candidate.

"We are determined to elect a Republican governor" for the first time in 16 years, she said. "He's really a family man. He's for education and not throwing money away."

John Kochensparger, a security consultant from Alexandria, said Allen has been able to stay competitive in traditionally Democratic-leaning Northern Virginia because of his pledge to abolish parole.

"There's a lot of fear about crime here," he said. "We read about what happens in Washington, and only a river separates us."

"Crime is the issue that motivates us," he said.

At his rallies in Fairfax and Salem, Allen again portrayed the election as a choice between the "stolid, stagnant status quo," represented by Terry and 12 years of Democratic rule, and his own campaign for "honest, positive, constructive change."

Paul Peterson, a 25-year-old mechanic from Blacksburg, liked what he heard at the Salem Civic Center, where Allen made a rare joint appearance with his running mate for lieutenant governor, Michael P. Farris.

"They stand for the common man," Peterson said. "I've met a lot of politicians but they seem sincere. I just think its time for a change."

Allen spent Sunday morning visiting two churches with predominantly black congregations in Richmond. Among black voters Terry leads Allen by wide margins in all polls, despite criticisms of Terry by black leaders who have complained that she has taken their votes for granted.

At the Fifth Baptist Church, Allen made a brief pitch for support, telling the cordial congregation "I'll take no one for granted."

In a later interview, Allen again denied that popular dislike for Democratic Governor Doug Wilder and President Bill Clinton makes his election chances any better. "I think people look at each individual race on its own merits."

But at his rally in Fairfax, supporters held big signs that played on the anti-Clinton theme. The signs said: "Send a Message to Bill and the Hill: Vote Republican on Nov. 2."